Giving and Receiving Feedback

Hearing feedback from others is not always easy. The listener is challenged to vulnerable and open-minded in receiving the feedback. Here are some tips:

Try to shift your mindset from “this person is attacking me/does not like me” to “this person is giving me a gift by providing insight me insight of how I am being perceived.” Their information about you may come as a surprise. However, this is an opportunity to grow.

Listen with an open mind. Some individuals may immediately go into a thought process of how they would respond to the other person. Be present to hearing their observation of you.

Rearticulate the behaviors that the person observed once you’ve listened to their feedback. “If I understood correctly, you observed/saw/noticed that I….”

Thank the person for making you aware of how you may have been perceived and share your thoughts about what happened. “I’m glad you’re telling me this. I didn’t realize I was coming across this way. What I thought happened was….”